What the Celebrity Anti-War Movement Was All About:

There were many good people opposing the war in Iraq, including good conservatives. However, whatever your feelings were about the war, it's good for you to know what the motivation was for a certain high-profile group of war protesters: semi-celebrities. Be honest--how many of you had ever heard of Janeane Garofalo before she started popping up on all the news programs?

Well, a lot more folks have heard of her since, which has been of no small benefit to Ms. Garofalo. From a story last week in the Washington Post:

Janeane Garofalo sounds energized about her whole antiwar thing: "I knew when I started speaking out that it was going to be unpleasant," says the actress-comedian, "and I've taken my punches. But the positives have far outweighed the negatives."

Such as? Such as all the unsolicited offers Garofalo has received -- speaking engagements, stand-up gigs, stage roles -- in the weeks since she proffered her antiwar opinions on news programs. Such as the bundles of attagirl letters and the hearty congratulations of strangers in the street. Such as the sitcom pilot she's making for ABC. The other day, after a decade and a half of doing comedy, she made America Online's "Comedians to Watch" list.

"Before this I was a moderately well-known character actress," she says. "Now I'm almost famous."

Nothing like principled opposition.